This invention relates to ultrasonic diagnostic imaging systems and, in particular, to ultrasound systems with integral probe cable supports.
Cart-borne ultrasound systems generally are capable of operating with a variety of ultrasound probes, each of which is specially designed for a particular exam or application. The systems usually have several connectors into which several probes can be connected at the same time. This enables the clinician to examine a patient with one probe and, if it is not found to produce the desired images, to pick up a second probe and begin examining the patient with it at the touch of a button.
Each probe, however, is connected to the system by a cable which can be three to six feet long or longer. Consequently the operator can spend a great deal of unproductive time managing these cables and keeping them from entangling each other. Moreover, cart-borne ultrasound systems are mounted on casters or wheels to enable them to be rolled to a lab or a patient""s bedside. The probe cables can be a hazard to the operator and others if they become entangled in the wheels of the ultrasound system as it is being rolled from one location to another. Furthermore, when an ultrasound system cart rolls over a probe cable containing over a hundred tiny coaxial conductors, the cable can become damaged and the probe rendered inoperable. It is desirable for an ultrasound system to be designed to prevent these problems from occurring.
In accordance with the principles of the present invention, a cart-borne ultrasound system includes a handle by which the system can be adjusted or moved. The handle is discontinuous, enabling it to also be used to support probe cables. In the illustrated embodiments the handle is shown with an intermediate opening, with open ends, or with an opening on the side of the cart. In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, the handle can articulate away from the position of the operator, thereby enabling the operator to more comfortably operate the ultrasound system.